The impact of fishing industries on whale populations

For decades, the vast and mysterious presence of whales has captivated both scientists and the public alike. These marine giants serve vital ecological functions, from regulating food webs to contributing to the global carbon cycle. Yet in the last century, the pressures exerted by industrial-scale fishing have brought their survival into question. As demand for seafood rises, concerns grow over the consequences this industry may have on the health of whale populations worldwide.

While fishing is crucial for global food security and coastal livelihoods, its side effects are increasingly hard to ignore. One particularly serious issue is whale bycatch, the accidental capture of whales in fishing gear. Combined with overlapping marine traffic and habitat disruption, these pressures raise urgent questions about how to balance marine resource use with conservation. Despite growing awareness, the scale and impact of these interactions remain difficult to quantify.

To shed light on this issue, we analyzed data from multiple marine datasets covering whale bycatch, whale and ship activity, and fishing activity across several regions and years. Our goal was to understand the scale and geography of interactions between whales and industrial fisheries. In doing so, we aimed to identify which whale species are most exposed, which regions pose the highest risk, if the problem has gotten somewhat better over the years, and how data-driven policy could help protect marine life while supporting sustainable fishing practices.

%run piditje.ipynb

%run global_whale.ipynb

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ModuleNotFoundError                       Traceback (most recent call last)
File /tmp/ipykernel_49695/4068962371.py:1
----> 1 import dash
      2 from dash import dcc, html, Output, Input
      3 import plotly.graph_objects as go

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'dash'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ModuleNotFoundError                       Traceback (most recent call last)
Cell In[2], line 1
----> 1 get_ipython().run_line_magic('run', 'global_whale.ipynb')

File ~/miniconda3/lib/python3.13/site-packages/IPython/core/interactiveshell.py:2488, in InteractiveShell.run_line_magic(self, magic_name, line, _stack_depth)
   2486     kwargs['local_ns'] = self.get_local_scope(stack_depth)
   2487 with self.builtin_trap:
-> 2488     result = fn(*args, **kwargs)
   2490 # The code below prevents the output from being displayed
   2491 # when using magics with decorator @output_can_be_silenced
   2492 # when the last Python token in the expression is a ';'.
   2493 if getattr(fn, magic.MAGIC_OUTPUT_CAN_BE_SILENCED, False):

File ~/miniconda3/lib/python3.13/site-packages/IPython/core/magics/execution.py:748, in ExecutionMagics.run(self, parameter_s, runner, file_finder)
    746     with preserve_keys(self.shell.user_ns, '__file__'):
    747         self.shell.user_ns['__file__'] = filename
--> 748         self.shell.safe_execfile_ipy(filename, raise_exceptions=True)
    749     return
    751 # Control the response to exit() calls made by the script being run

File ~/miniconda3/lib/python3.13/site-packages/IPython/core/interactiveshell.py:2979, in InteractiveShell.safe_execfile_ipy(self, fname, shell_futures, raise_exceptions)
   2977 result = self.run_cell(cell, silent=True, shell_futures=shell_futures)
   2978 if raise_exceptions:
-> 2979     result.raise_error()
   2980 elif not result.success:
   2981     break

File ~/miniconda3/lib/python3.13/site-packages/IPython/core/interactiveshell.py:310, in ExecutionResult.raise_error(self)
    308     raise self.error_before_exec
    309 if self.error_in_exec is not None:
--> 310     raise self.error_in_exec

    [... skipping hidden 1 frame]

File /tmp/ipykernel_49695/4068962371.py:1
----> 1 import dash
      2 from dash import dcc, html, Output, Input
      3 import plotly.graph_objects as go

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'dash'